Furthering the Restorative Justice Field Through Art
What do you picture when you hear the word “justice”? Many people instinctively picture courtrooms and prison guards. What if that picture could shift? In her Presidential Paper, Expanding our public imagination of justice: the role of artists and storytellers, author Lindsey Pointer highlights the critical need for narrative change in advancing the restorative justice movement, emphasizing the crucial role that artists and storytellers play in furthering this effort.
Through the addition of real-world examples, Lindsey shares a snapshot of some of the ways restorative practitioners have creatively represented a restorative approach to justice-making with the goal of advancing the public’s understanding of restorative justice. On the use of graphic design, drawing, and painting, she notes, “Eventually, perhaps these restorative images will be what flood our minds when we hear the word ‘justice,’ replacing the images of gavels, handcuffs, and prison bars.” Compounding this work is the use of creative storytelling, the sharing of alternative perspectives on traditional justice systems through fiction and nonfiction books.
Q: What inspired you to write this Presidential Paper?
A: We need more strategies to creatively communicate restorative justice to the broader public and build momentum and demand for implementation. I feel particularly excited about creative methods for communicating restorative justice that help learners experience emotional resonance in addition to intellectual understanding. I wanted to write a paper that both highlights the essential role that narrative change strategies play in the restorative justice movement and provides some examples of creative work that furthers the restorative justice paradigm.
Q: What sets your paper and point of view apart from others of its kind?
A: There is incredible work being done in the restorative justice field and more broadly on the importance of narrative change in social movements. I drew from this framing in the paper and also wanted to offer a collection of examples of stories and art that communicate a restorative paradigm or show the power of following a restorative justice process. I hope to bring more attention to these creative resources so that restorative justice practitioners, advocates, and educators can use them in their efforts to promote restorative justice.
Q: What are the three most important things you hope readers take away from the publication?
A: I hope readers will:
- understand and begin to recognize the punitive narratives that show up again and again in the stories and art that surround us,
- begin to think about key restorative justice narratives and how they can be communicated creatively, and
- feel inspired to use some of these creative resources in their restorative justice communication, advocacy, and education efforts, and perhaps even feel inspired to create new stories and art centered on restorative justice!
